Despite Kyrie Irving‘s verbal commitment to re-signing with the team next summer, the Celtics have explored a potential contract extension for Terry Rozier, a source tells Brian Robb of BostonSportsJournal.com. The two sides have until next Monday to complete a deal. If they don’t, Rozier will remain on track to reach restricted free agency in 2019.
While Robb describes the Celtics as having been engaged and “active” in extension negotiations, it’s hard to imagine the two sides reaching an agreement in the coming days. With Irving expected to stick around long-term and Marcus Smart already locked up to a long-term deal, the Celtics would be committing a ton of money to point guards if they were to extend Rozier as well. Additionally, it’s not clear whether Rozier would be comfortable accepting a bench role for the next several years of his career by re-upping with the C’s.
“That’s something I’m really going to have to sit down and think about,” Rozier told Robb on Tuesday.
Here’s more out of Boston:
- The NBA hit Marcus Smart with a $25K fine earlier this week for his role in an on-court altercation with J.R. Smith, the league announced in a press release. The incident, which resulted in Smart’s ejection, occurred during Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers. Smith was fined $15K.
- The Celtics continue to work on figuring out their rotation for the regular season, as head coach Brad Stevens acknowledged after that Saturday loss to the Cavs. Taylor C. Snow of Celtics.com has the story.
- Asked about the Celtics’ struggles during the preseason, Kyrie Irving said that he and his teammates “have to be a lot smarter,” as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston details. “We have to be a lot more diligent in what we’re doing out there, a lot more communicative,” Irving said. “And it’s going to take some time for us to figure that out because we don’t have 1-2-3-4-5 set in stone. Like 2, 3, and 4 is like up in the air for us so you can see that our wings are having somewhat of a struggle just figuring out, ‘OK, who is the 4, who is the 3 here?'”
- In a separate piece on Irving, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe passes along some of the point guard’s observations on his time in Cleveland and what he learned from playing with LeBron James.
Having up to 4 1st round picks next summer, and having Kyrie in the fold, it’s hard to imagine the Celtics giving Rozier a big contract, especially since they haven’t bench players in the past. I see Horford opting in Kyrie signing. I see them keeping or trading at least 3 1st round picks (Sacramento and their own for sure, Memphis and the Clippers are question marks). Look at Marcus Morris contract and I think you’ll see about what the Celtics could do for Rozier.
I think what Smart got might be the best Rozier could get. Anyone who knows the Celtics know that Rozier isn’t in the same class as Kyrie, but he could be a starter somewhere else. Boston keeps Kyrie because the Celtics plan on Kyrie, Hayward, Horford, Brown, Tatum, and possibly Anthony Davis down the road putting them in the Finals the next several years, just like the Cavs just did.
I think the new NBA will see more teams play multiple PGs together… so Brad Stevens should have little trouble getting Rozier 25 minutes a night, even as the 3rd PG.
That doesn’t mean Rozier won’t want to try to find a place where he can get more minutes, but I think the Celtics would be wise to do everything they can to resign him.
i feel like kyrie said he “plans” to resign next year only to stop the questions from coming in all season. i think there is still a big chance he leaves or boston lets him walk. the celtics are just in an amazing situation where they have so many options at so many positions. it may make sense to let kyrie walk instead of giving him a 5year 200mil deal because they still have to resign jaylen brown/tatum in a few years. plus they will have hayward on the books still… why not go with the cheaper option in rozier
Kyrie goes public, and some people just can’t accept it. Like Kyrie says, there is no where he can go where he has it any better than he has now. Ainge calls him the greatest player in the world at times.
I think it just makes good business sense for Boston to sign both Smart and Rozier because if Kyrie changes his mind or gets injured again then they have insurance and if Kyrie resigns next summer then Boston can give teams a choice of either Smart or Rozier as part of a package for a big piece like AD.
Irving said James helped him see what a competitor he was; as opposed to, a just-play-ball type.
IMO, that attitude would help him practice long hours and become skilled, but he was never interested in leadership, and the Cavs coddled him. Cavs fans got used to him being less than reliable or hungry.
At some point I think he realized he had dug himself into a role that he had outgrown and needed to move on from.
The Irving trade would have worked if they had required Rozier– they could have, salarywise, and Boston was not clinging to him– but settled without, just hoping IT would magically recover without a sound plan of therapy.
Rozier might play a key role in Anthony Davis trade to Boston.